Lightning-arrester.



W. M. WILSON & W. R. McCRACKEN.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1916.

1.24.628. Patented Nov. 14,1916.

Telephone Maw; Lame UNITED STATES PATENT onerous VIILBER MEADE WILSON AND WILLIE REID MGCRACKEN, 015. BRYSON CITY, NORTH CAROLINA.

LZGHTNING-ABRESTER.

neoaeae.

Application filed March 24,

To all whom z't may concern Be it known that we, lVILBER M. NILsoN and WILLIE R. MoCRAcKEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Bryson City, in

holds said member in a cutout position until the circuit resumes its normal strength.

Another object of our invention is to provide an arrester of this character which will automatically return to its normal position' when the current in the circuit has receded to its normal strength and will automatically throw the phone in circuit so that the phone is ready for use.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a simple, cheap and more efiective arrester of this character having certain details of structure and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described.

in the'accompanying drawings the figure is a perspective view of our improved arrester, showing it applied to a telephone circuit.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents a base, preferably of porcelain, but could be made of any desired material which is a non-conductor of electricity. Mounted upon the said baseare four binding posts 2, 3, i and 5, -which are arranged in series, and the two posts 2 and.5 constituting one series through which the circuit passes and the posts 3 and 4 constituting the other series through which the circuit to the phone is completed. One line wire 6 is connected to the binding post 2, while the other line Wire 7 is connected tothe binding post 3, and each wire has a direct connection across the base to the binding posts 4 and 5, as will be later described.

Like reference numerals will indicate like parts in describing the two circuits across Specification of Letters Eatent.

"Patentedhlov. 1d, 1916. 1918. Serial 310. 88,413.

the base and the two cutouts leading toithe binding posts 4 and 5 and to which is connected the two wires 8 and 9 leading to the telephone, so that we will, therefore, describe but one and refer to the diiferent parts in the singular form. Adjacent the binding post 2 are two carbon blocks 10 and are connected to the binding post by means of the wire 11. Connected to the carbon blocks isa wire 12 which is connected directly to the grounded wire 13 and through which an extra overcharge of lightning would pass and thus relieve the instrument of such overcharge. A standard l i is supported by the base and is connected to the binding post 2 by means of the wire 15.

Pivotallv mounted upon the upper end of the standard is a connecting bar 18 which is normally held in the position shown in the drawing by a spring 16 and has its upper end connected to the bar and its lower end connected to an adjusting screw 17 carried by the arm formed integral with the standard, so that the tension of said spring may be regulated. The connecting bar 18 is made in two sections-an upper section 19 and a lower section 20, separated by insulation 21. The lower section 20 is connected to the standard by means of the wire 22. Adjacent the standard 14 is a magnet 23 which is connected to the binding post 2 by means of the wire 24 which is connected to the wire 15.

T he magnet 23 is connected to the upper I section of the connecting bar by means of a wire 25 and through which the normal cur rent employed in the circuit extends and travels along the said bar. The outer free end of the bar carries a cap or hood of platinum 26, which engages the contact 27 carried by the standard 28. adjacent the binding post 5. The binding post 5 is connected to the standard 28 by means of the wire 29. Adjacent the standard 28 is a post 30 which has at its upper end a spring contact 30 which is engaged by the hood 26 and the current passes downwardly through the post 30. A binding post 31 is carried by the base adjacent the post 30 and is connected to the grounded wire 13. Connecting the post 30 and the binding post 31 is a wire 38, which completes the circuit to the ground, as will be hereinafter more fully described in the operation of the device. Connecting to the binding post 31 is a wire 32 which extends across the base and is connected to the post 30 corresponding to the post and ,by means of which the two posts are grounded on the single wire 13. The post 30 as will be understood', is in the circuit of the other wire of the telephone circuit and as heretofore stated the arts of each circuit of each wire are precisely alike. v

Carried by the lower face of the portion 20 of the connecting bar is a contact 33 for the purpose of breaking the telephone line connection and grounding the circuit through the ground wire 13.

In the normal operation of the telephone,

- two line wires 6 and 7 and their circuits pass through the binding posts 2 and 3 and thence through the wire 15,- through the magnet 23, and from the magnet through the wire 25 to the upper portion 19 of the connecting bar 18. The current then passes through enough to energize the magnet 23 sufficiently to draw the connecting bar 18 downwardly.

the hood 26, through the contact 27 and through the post 28' and the wire 29 to the binding post 5 and throughthe wire 9; the other connection being through the post 4 and the wire 8 to the telephone. The current passing through the circuit is not strong In case of an excess charge passing athrough the line wire, the magnet is'energized and through the armature draws the connecting bar downwardly and bringing the hood away from the contact 27 and,

breaking the circuit to the telephone wire 9. Just before'the contact between 26 and 27 is broken, the contact 30 is engaged by the hood 26 and the circuit is completed through the post 30, wire 33 to the binding post 3 and out through the ground wire 13. Fromthe above operation, it will be seen that the telephone wire is only employedin the initial starting of the connecting bar in its downward direction and that practically none of the overcharge passes to the telephone through the wires 9. The circuit being closed through the post 30 the magnet still draws the connecting bar downwardly to bring the contact 33 carried by thelower portion of. the connecting bar into contact with the post 3 L. When this contact is made the current passes directly through the wire 15 to the post 14cand the wire 22 to the lower portion 20 of the bar 18 and through the post .34 and wire 35 to the binding post 31 and is grounded through the wire 13.

From the above, it will be seen that all the posts 34 and 30- and restoring the circuit through the contact 27 and the wires 25 and Y 15 to the bindingpost' 2 connected to the line wire 6. Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

' '1. An arrester' of the character described comprising a base, a pivoted connectingbar on said base and'havingone endconnected to the line wire and the opposite end connected to the telephone wire, a magnet operating said bar, and means carried by the bar for breakingthe telephone connection and grounding the line connection.

2. An arrester of the character described comprising a base, a movable connecting bar on. said base, 'means carried by the bar for breaking the telephone connection, and means whereby the telephone connection gives the initial movement to the said bar for breaking the circuit. I 3. An arrester of the character described comprising a base, a movable connecting bar on said base, an electric magnet for moving saidbar and breaking the telephone circuit, and means for grounding the circuit in advance of the breaking of the telephone circuit and shunting the greater portion of the excess current from the magnet.

4. An arrester of the character described comprising a base, a" movable connecting bar extending across the base, an electric magnet through which the telephone circuit passes and connected to said bar, means operated by an overcharge through the magnet for operating the connecting bar and breaking the telephone circuit and simultaneously grounding the bar and shunting the greater portion of the circuit from the magnet directly through the barl 5. An arrester of the character described comprising a base, a pivoted connecting bar on said base, a magnet adapted to move said bar, a contact carried by the opposite end of the bar and completing the circuit to the telephone wire, a spring normally holding the bar with the circuit closed, a grounding contact below the bar, and means whereby an overcharge through the magnet moves the bar downwardly breaking the telephone circuit and simultaneously engaging the grounding contact.

6. An arrester of the character described comprising a base, a pivoted connecting bar on said base, a magnet adapted to move said bar by an overcharge therethrough, a con: tact carried by the oppositeend of the bar and completing the circuit to the telephone ao-mas wire, a spring normally holding the bar with the circuit closed, a grounding co'ntact below the bar and adapted to ground the circuit simultaneously with the breaking of the telephone circuit.

7. An arrester of the character described comprising a base, a pivoted connecting bar on said base, a magnet adapted to move said bar by an overcharge therethrough, a contact carried by the opposite end of the bar and completing the circuit to the telephone wire, a spring normally holding the bar with the telephone circuit closed, a grounding contact below the bar and to ground the circuit simultaneously with the breaking of the telephone circuit, and means for shunting a portion of the overcharge from the magnet directly through the bar.

8. An arrester' of the character described comprising a base, apivoted connecting bar formed of an upper and lower section insulated from each other, a spring normally holding the bar ina horizontal position, a magnet below the bar, an armature'carried by the lower section of the bar, a line'circuit passing through the magnet and connected to the upper section of the bar, a spring contact, adapted to engage the upper section of the bar and complete the circuit to the telephone, a grounding contact below the bar adapted to be engaged simultaneously with the breaking of the telephone circuit, a contact below the lower section of the bar for grounding the circuit, and a connection between the line wire and lower section of the bar, whereby the overcharge passes through the lower section of the bar and is grounded through the last named contact.

9. An arrester of the character described comprising a base, a pivoted connecting bar formed of an upper and lower se'ction'insulated from each other, a contact carried by the upper section and adapted to engage a spring contact of the telephone circuit, a

section of the bar when the magnet has moved the bar to its downward limit, a connection between the line wire and the lower section of thebar for shunting a portion of the overcharge and grounding it through the last mentioned grounding contact, and a direct carbon connection between the line wire and the ground wire, whereby an. extra overcharge will be directly grounded.

In testimony whereof we hereby aflix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILBER MEADE WILSON. WILLIE REID MCCRACKEN.

Witnesses M. P. CUNNINGHAM, E. C. (ii-mean. 

